Rotary shovel.



No. 893,749. PATENTED JULY 21, 1908. E. w. NICHOLS.

ROTARY SHOVEL'.

APPLIUATION FILED DEC.13. 1907.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

lEDWARD W. NICHOLS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, AND M. P.

SMITH & SONS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ROTARY SHOVEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. NICHOLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Rotary Shovels, of which the following is a specification. v

The invention relates to means for distributing coal or other material, and the object Aof the invention is to provide a simple and easily operated machine for this purpose, particularly designed for trimming coal in ships bunkers and like situations in which operating space is limited and rapid work desirable.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details of arrangement and construction by which the above objects are attained, to be hereinafter described.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and show an approved form of the invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a ship, showing the machine in operation. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine alone, on a larger scale. Fig. 3 is a corresponding vertical section,.taken transversely, partly in elevation. The remaining figures are on a still larger scale. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the upper face of one of the shovels. Fig. 5 is a sectional viewV taken on the line 5 5 in the preceding iigure and showing a means for adjusting the shovel at the desired angle. Fig. 6 is a view of the under face of the shovel.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same arts in all the figures.

. A Il) are end frames or supports, of any suitable construction and. material, on them near the top is journaled a shaft B shown as driven directly by an electric motor C, but

which may be rotated by a belt or otherwise from the same or other type of motor.

On the shaft B is fixed a pinion B1 in mesh with a gear-wheel D1 secured on a shaft D mounted in bearings in the su ports A A below the driving-shaft B. n the driven shaft D near its center is a spider-frame comprising a hub E having four radial arms E1 each terminating in a head E2 on which is mounted a shovel F. The spider is shown as a single casting but the hub and arms may -be formed separately and bolted together or otherwise joined'.

When in operation the machine is supplied with coal, as by the chute M in Fig. 1, which is taken up by the shovels and tossed or thrown in a manner analogous to hand shoveling until the portion of the bunker to which coal is thus delivered is filled 5 the machine is then successively turned to direct the coal to other ortions of the bunker. By employing an (ilectric motor attached to the machine these changes in direction are easily eected by simply shifting the machine.

The shaft D rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow and it is evident that the distance and elevation to which the coal may be thrown will depend upon the speed of revolution and the angular position of the shovels. The high rate of the electric motor is reduced. through the inion and gear-wheel to revolve the shovefs at the desired rate which experiments indicate to be about 120 turns per minute, and the shovels are adjustably mounted on the heads E2 so that their angles may be varied in conformity to the speed and material and point of delivery.

From the under face of each shovel jects a segmental' boss or curved swel El grooved longitudinally as at f and having va curved slot f1 extending transversely therethrou h. The adjacent face of the head E2 is hol owed to match to the boss and has a lug E3 which is received in the groove f. The head and boss are secured together by the bolt F2 extending through the slot f1 from side to side of the boss and passing through the lug E3. The angular position of the shovel relatively to the head may be adjusted by withdrawing the bolt and moving the boss F1 to the desired position in the head and again replacing and tightening the bolt. The outer face of the boss and the corresponding recess in the head are preferably scored transversely to form ridges or teeth E4 F3 which interlock and securely hold the shovel against changes in position under the strains to which it is subjected.

The form of the shovel is approximately that of the hand-scoop usually employed in coal trimming but preferably narrower at the front; this construction with the angular adjustment tends to hold the oal picked up by the shovel, until the centrifugal force is sufficient to overcome its inertia, usually in about one-sixth to one-quarter of a revolution, and deliver it with the required energy.

The motor, pinion and gear-wheel may be inclosed in a casing, not shown, to exclude f carried by said support and arranged to rodust from these parts, and the machine is preferably constructed so that it may be easily taken apart and reassembled, thus permitting it to be passed in sections through coal orts and other small openings.

I c aim:-

l. In a device of the character described, a support, a shaft j ournaled therein, means for revolving said shaft, a plurality of shovels mounted on said shaft, and means for altering the angle of said shovels.

2. In a device of the character described, a support, a shaft journaled therein, a spider on said shaft, a shovel located at the outer extremity of each arm of said spider, and means for adjusting the angle of said shovel relatively to said arm.

3. In a device of the character described, a support, a shaft journaled therein, a spider on said shaft, a shovel on each of the arms of said spider, a curved boss on each shovel adapted to match -to a correspondingly curved recess in said arm, means for holding said shovel to said arm, and means for re- Volving said spider and shovels.

4. In a device of the character described, a support, a shaft journaled therein, a spider on said shaft, a shovel on each arm of said spider, a boss formed on each of said shovels and provided With teeth adapted to engage similar teeth on the arms of said spider for the purpose of adjusting the angle of said shovelJ and means for holding said teeth in engagement.

5. In a device of the character set forth, a support, a shaft journaled therein, a motor tate said shaft, a spider journaled in said support below said shaft, means for transmitting rotary motion from said shaft to said spider, a shovel mounted at the outer extremity of each arm of said spider and provided With means for adjusting the operating angle thereof.

6. In a device of the character described, a revolving spider, shovels carried by the arms thereof, .a curved boss on each shovel, having a longitudinally extending groove therein and a slot extending transversely therethrough, each of said arms having a curved recess matching said boss, a lug in said recess adapted to be received in said groove, and a bolt extending through said slot and lug.

7. In a device of the character described, a revolving spider, shovels carried by the arms thereof, a curved boss on each shovel, having a longitudinally extending groove therein and a slot extending transversely therethrough, each of said arms having a curved recess matching said boss, a lug in said recess adapted to be received in said groove, a bolt extending through said slot and lug, and teeth on the adjacent surfaces of said lug and recess constructed to interlock and hold said shovel relatively to said arm.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I affix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

EDWARD W. NICHOLS.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR M. SMITH, M. P. SMITH. 

